Boston Flora

Tag: plants

  • Wednesday, March 4 and Thursday, March 5, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – ELA Conference and Eco-Marketplace 2020

    Looking for New Ideas? Solutions? Inspiration? From the practical to the applicable, join the Ecological Landscape Alliance in March for the 26th Annual ELA Conference & Eco-Marketplace at the UMass Campus Center, Amherst, MA. Immerse yourself in a two-day exploration of ecological concepts as our speakers share their experiences and expertise.

    Forests and natural systems are under enormous pressure from the effects of climate change, insect damage, invasive plants, and rapid urbanization. What can you do to protect these systems? Join us to learn more about how to restore lost ecological connections, better manage urban land, and create beautiful, highly functioning landscapes!

    Wednesday features two educational workshop tracks. Track One – explore soils from “micro to macro” with a dive into the intricacies of soil…. hear about the latest research, and learn how to apply new practices for results in the landscape. Track Two explores the detailed workings of meadow ecosystems and what it takes to make a successful meadow project and more.

    Thursday offers a broad range of sessions. Delve into landscape design elements from native shrubs to playscapes and larger ecological landscapes, including rain gardens and modern agricultural models. Enjoy a presentation or join an idea exchange to engage with your peers on timely topics.

    Registration fees range from $20 to $330. Register online and get complete details at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/ela-conference-eco-marketplace-2/

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  • Tuesday, February 18, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Humans & Their Use of Plants

    Hannah Traggis, Massachusetts Horticultural Society senior horticulturist, manages Mass Hort’s edible gardens throughout The Gardens at Elm Bank and oversees the Seed to Table vegetable garden. In this Tuesday evening class on February 18 from 6:30 – 8, Hannah will cover how agriculture influenced civilization and how changes in the last century have impacted our food and environment. We will look ahead and discuss how the choices we make as consumers influence the future of food. Mass Hort Members $40, general Admission $50. To register for this class, click here.

  • Saturday, March 25, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Plants, Pollinators, and How to Support Them

    On Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 pm at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, Joseph Tychonievich explains the interesting ways plants have evolved to attract their preferred pollinators. Along with a tour of nature’s most creative (and sometimes disgusting) methods of connecting pollinators and plants, Joseph discusses ways to foster biodiversity in your own garden and shows examples of managing garden pests by letting other insects do the dirty work.

    A life long gardener and lover of plants, Joseph earned his BS in horticulture from Ohio State University, went on to work for Shibamichi Honten Nursery in Saitama, Japan, has been a repeated guest on public radio’s food show The Splendid Table, wrote a book, Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener,  Timber Press, 2013), spent two years working at the famed rare plants nursery Arrowhead Alpines and was named by Organic Gardening Magazine as one of “…six young horticulturists who are helping to shape how America gardens.” Joseph’s most recent book is Rock Gardening: Reimagining a Classic Style (Timber Press, 2016). Currently Joseph lives and gardens with his husband and an adorable black cat in SE Michigan. $15 for Tower Hill members, $25 for nonmembers. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, November 15, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm – Annual African Violet Repotting Clinic

    Each fall, Bay State African Violet Society holds a Re-potting Clinic at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts.  For a nominal fee of $1.00 per plant, they will repot your African violet into a new pot with new soil.  They will also remove suckers and separate multiple crowns so you may go home with more plants than you brought in!.  It is a fun and informative session.  Turn your lopsided, non-blooming, multi-crown African violet into a thing of beauty on Sunday, November 15, from 11 am to 3 pm. For more information, log on to www.baystateafricanviolet.org. Thank you www.realcountryliving.com for the perfect picture.

  • Monday, January 14, 7:00 pm – Plants, The First Three Billion Years

    Plants, The First Three Billion Years: A Reflection on the Nature of Evolutionary History will be the first of this year’s Director’s Lecture Series at the Arnold Arboretum on Monday, January 14 at 7 pm at the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway in Boston.

    Plant biodiversity. How did it all begin? And what are some of the key evolutionary twists and turns that have deposited us into a world teaming with photosynthetic life? William “Ned” Friedman, Director of the Arnold Arboretum and an evolutionary biologist, will explore how lunch for a unicellular organism inadvertently laid the groundwork for the first plants, and how they then went on to produce exquisitely beautiful multicellular photosynthetic lineages dozens of times, only one of which made it out of the water and onto land 475 million years ago.  Free, but registration requested at 617-384-5277, or email Pam Thompson at pam_thompson@harvard.edu.

  • Wednesday, March 14 – Sunday, March 18 – Boston Flower & Garden Show

    The Boston Flower & Garden Show returns to the Seaport World Trade Center Wednesday, March 14 – Sunday, March 18.  Show times each day are 9:00 am – 9:00 pm, with the exception of Sunday, March 18, when the hours are 9:00 am – 6:00 pm.  This year’s theme is “First Impressions” and will feature 25 show gardens, 240 vendors selling plants and garden-related merchandise, free lectures and demonstrations, and a lively amateur competition area.  John Gidding, below, host of HGTV’s hugely popular “Curb Appeal: The Block” will lecture on Friday, March 16, at 11:30 am and again at 2:30 pm.  Learn more at www.TheBostonFlowerShow.com, or telephone 781-237-5533.

  • Sunday, August 8, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Sin and Flesh Brook

    We just couldn’t resist reporting on this New England Wild Flower Society field trip in Tiverton, Rhode Island on Sunday, August 8, from 9 – noon.  The loveliness of this meandering brook belies its lurid name, given to it in colonial times following a bloody encounter between resident Pocasset Indians and a Quaker preacher in transit to Newport, RI. The stream flows through a beautiful eighty-acre maritime hardwood forest, Fort Barton Woods, a site reeking with history and plant diversity. Streamside wetlands, vernal pools, and glacial upland soils provide an opportunity to see an impressive array of wild flowers and ferns. The terrain is rugged so the walk will require good stamina, and participants should dress for muggy, August forest conditions.  Garry Plunkett will lead, and the fee is $24 for NEWFS  members and $27 for nonmembers.  Directions and registration will be found at www.newfs.org.

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  • Saturday, June 5, 11:00 am – 25th Annual Tower Hill Plant Sale

    It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since the first Plant Sale was held on the rough field and lawn in front of the Farmhouse.  That sale attracted nearly 400 visitors – pretty astonishing for the first sale at the brand new headquarters of the Worcester County Horticultural Society. At its peak, the sale has attracted as many as 3,100 visitors, expanding to become one of Tower Hill’s largest fundraisers.

    Because of the construction  at the core of the property, this year’s sale will be held in the grassy overflow parking field adjacent to the paved lots.  Some details remain the same: one of the many benefits of Tower Hill’s Plant Sale is the ability to select from the specialty offerings of more than a dozen participating Plant Societies, including Bamboo, Cactus & Succulent, Conifer, Daylily, Epimedium, Fern, Heather, Hosta, Indoor Gardeners, Lilac, Magnolia, Miniature Plants, Orchid, Rhododendron, and Rose.  These ardent devotees are wild about their specific plant interests and can offer great tips on care and growing.  Please note that a Tower Hill member discount card does not apply to sales in the plant society area, and most of the societies are able to accept only cash or checks.

    More than 12,000 plants will be available for sale:  unusual perennials, herbs and everlastings, shrubs and trees, including Cary Award Winners, natives, annuals, incredible edibles, and Tower Hill “Best Buy” plants – donated divisions from beautiful plants grown by members. Special Plant Sale T-shirts to commemorate the 25th anniversary will be sold, and there will be Plant Giveaways to our early arriving members.  Two silent auctions on the day of the Plant Sale feature a variety of choice, hard to find, specimen plants and garden ornaments.  Register first and enjoy the challenge of competing with other plant enthusiasts for the plants that spark your interest.  Tower Hill members enjoy the benefit of early admission at 9 a.m.  For more information, call 508-869-6111, or log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Saturday, May 1, 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, May 2, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Seven State Daffodil & National Primrose Shows

    See beautiful displays of daffodils and primroses of every kind imaginable, including lovely flower arrangements, presented by The New England Chapter of the American Primrose Society and the Seven State Daffodil Society on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2.  Welcome spring with these two colorful and simultaneous displays of popular plants. Participate in tours of the shows, as well as lectures and discussions on daffodils and primroses.  Vendors will be selling choice primrose, woodland and alpine plants.  If you are interested in exhibiting your own daffodils, contact show organizer Mary Ann Streeter at 978-468-2262, or Nancy Mott at 203-661-6142.  For more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Saturday, April 24 – Sunday, April 25, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – 51st Annual Spring African Violet Show and Plant Sale

    This Spring marks the Baystate African Violet Society’s 50th Anniversary. They will sponsor an AVSA-approved African violet show and plant sale at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25, from 10 am – 5 pm each day.  The show gives people an opportunity to enter their plants and floral designs for judging to win ribbons and prizes.  You can also attend workshops on AV care. At the sale, commercially grown plants and supplies are sold, along with plants grown by Society members. There is an $10 entrance fee to Tower Hill. For more information, log on to www.baystateafricanviolet.org.

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